Bullet For My Valentine
by Katheryn Mae
Summary: Wilson finds out that Cuddy has nightmares while they are on a confrence trip with House. How come House knows and why do the nightmares come to haunt Cuddy every night? HUDDY. angst. rated K mention of violence.


**AN: This story has nothing to do with the band, I just thought that the title fit.**

**Thanks to CassidyTVNut for letting me bounce ideas off her, and my friend Emily for being able to listen to me whenever I need it. I love you both so much! **

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_Bullet for my Valentine_

Wilson, House and Cuddy were talking and laughing as they stepped off the elevator, headed towards their hotel room. The cart, which held their suitcases, was pulled by Wilson, whose step matched House's uneven one. A few paces ahead, already unlocking the door, was Cuddy, laughing along with them.

"I call the bed by the window!" House cried, then stopped, "Wait, no, Wilson can have that bed."

"There's only two beds ..." Wilson looked around the room, "There's three of us."

"You're getting the floor," Cuddy tossed her suitcase onto the bed besides the wall, "And House, you get the bed by the window." She glanced up at him to see him nod slightly, before collapsing on her bed, already exhausted.

"I don't want to sleep on the floor," Wilson pouted.

"Well I've got a bum leg and Cuddy's your boss, so naturally, you come in last." House flopped onto his own bed, looking across the room to where Cuddy lay on her bed. "Don't want to piss off your boss on trip that she had her hospital pay for, do you?"

"Like you follow that rule," Wilson rolled his eyes, dropping onto the edge of Cuddy's bed, causing it to bounce a bit.

"Anyone got the list of seminars?" Cuddy sat up and glanced at the list as House handed it to her.

"Nothing interesting now," Wilson glanced at the list over Cuddy's shoulder.

"Really?" House also skimmed the list, "Wilson could go to this 'Oncology and the Real World' one, because that totally sounds like him. Or Cuddles could go to this lecture about teaching hospitals; or this endocrinology one in an hour, I bet there's some handsome guys she could pick up there."

"Are you insulting yourself House?" Cuddy smirked at him, "Because that certainly isn't like you. Maybe _you _should go to that endocrinology conference, pick up some girls of your own there."

"They don't look anything like you, Dr. Cuddy." House smiled sweetly at her, before Wilson slapped them both on the arms.

"Would you two get a room?!" He laughed, "Or at least warn me before you two are going to start flirting with each other."

"Oh fine," House rolled his eyes in perfect imitation of Wilson, "Yes we will daddy." He smirked, enjoying the mockery he could inflict on his friend.

"Shut up," Cuddy smiled, "Look, there's also a rep from Doctors Without Borders, and a rep from the National Guard. It's nearly eight and the conference starts in ten minutes."

"Where's Cameron when you need her?" House rolled his eyes, again, "She'd enjoy that conference."

"What do you have against Cameron?" Cuddy glanced at him, slightly confused, "She never did anything to you."

"Oh please, Cuddles," House gave her an awkward hug, "You of all people should know why Cameron likes me so much; after all, you are a girl." He laughed at Cuddy's slightly blank stare and elbowed Wilson, "See? Stage One, denial, refuses to admit anything."

"Oh shut up," Wilson rolled his eyes, "House is convinced that Cameron has the hots for him and thinks that you should be jealous."

"For what reason?" Cuddy batted her eyelids playfully at House, who shook his head, "Cameron is one who should be jealous of me, after all, House and I have known each other much longer."

"Good point," Wilson stood, "And House, how can you live with this, girls fighting over you all the time."

"Fighting over me?" House laughed, bouncing onto his own bed, "I'm sure Cameron knows that I feel nothing for her; and Cuddy is just being plain old Cuddy, just wanting to hop in the sack with someone."

Cuddy hopped off her bed and in seconds, was beating House over the head with a pillow; while Wilson laughed. Her eyes were laughing but she tried in vain to punish him with her words and pillow beating.

"Okay, okay," House grabbed the pillow out of Cuddy's hands, "You can stop abusing me now Cuddles, unless that's your way of trying to tell me that you _do _have the hots for me." He tossed the pillow aside and sat up, "Oh, and that conference on there about finding the right team looks interesting, after all, I need one."

"Good," Cuddy sat up, sitting cross-legged on House's bed, "You need to hurry up on that."

"Shut up Cuddy," House stood, grabbing his cane and limping towards the door, "It's ends late, or so the flier says, so if you're both asleep when I get back then good night." He stopped at the door, "Just don't go into a deep sleep, I need someone to let me in."

"Take a key," Wilson was looking through his suitcase and he disappeared into the bathroom, carrying his toothbrush.

"Lazy idiot," House grabbed a key anyways and beckoned Cuddy towards him.

"What?" Cuddy glanced at House, her eyes sparkling in the light from the hall.

"Come walk with me for a bit." He held open the door but Cuddy shook her head, regretful.

"I'm exhausted House, I'll probably look over a few things then head to bed," she turned on her heel, digging in her suitcase.

"Okay," House began to pull the door closed, "Good night."

**––**

It was nearly eleven-thirty by the time House arrived back from the seminar and he was exhausted, a few papers tucked under one arm and a slightly heavier limp. Unlocking the door, he blinked in the brightness of the room, surprised to see Wilson sitting awake, and very alert, on his bed.

"House..." Wilson began, and he sounded worried, "Come here."

"What is it?" House stepped towards Wilson, seeing Cuddy curled up awkwardly on his bed. The sheets were tangled around her legs and she clutched the pillow, her whole body shaking as she slept.

"Cuddy." Wilson pointed at Cuddy's uncomfortable looking position on the bed, "She's been like that ever since she fell asleep two hours ago and I don't know why."

"She has?" House glanced up at Wilson, tearing his eyes away from Cuddy for a few seconds. "have you been awake the whole time?"

"Obviously, I've been worried about her," Wilson nodded at Cuddy. "She went into the bathroom to change soon after you left for the seminar and then got on her laptop." He glanced at the laptop on the floor besides the bed, "Around ten, she shut it off and said she was going to bed; she seemed to fall right asleep, but has been like this ever since."

"Did you see her go into the bathroom after she changed, or did she just get into bed?" House's eyes flicked between the bathroom, Cuddy's suitcase, and Cuddy herself.

"Uhm, no," Wilson shrugged, "Why?"

"Go find her makeup bag," House snapped, dropping the papers on the desk, "Now."

"But …?" Wilson began, obviously confused.

"Go get it!" House nearly shouted, "Now or else I'll go do it, you idiot!"

"Okay," Wilson held up his hands in defeat and went into the bathroom, only to step out a few moments later.

"Hey," House crawled on the bed awkwardly, "Cuddy, wake up." He pulled her into his arms, rubbing her arm gently.

"House...?" Wilson looked at the scene before him; House holding a trembling Cuddy in his arms. "I got it."

"Give it to me," House demanded, holding out his hand.

"Catch," Wilson tossed it to him, and House opened it, emptying the contents onto the bed.

"Did you see her with this at all?" House held up a small pill bottle, "Or hear her open it?"

"Uhm, no, why? Should I have heard it? And why does Cuddy have sleeping pills?" Wilson glanced between Cuddy and the pill bottle.

"Yes, you idiot!" House cried, "It explains everything." He shook Cuddy's shoulder roughly, "Cuddy, wake up." He snapped, "Now."

"House ..." Wilson began to protest House's sudden anger and rudeness, "Don't wake Cuddy up."

"Why not?" House snapped, breathing an audible sigh of relief as Cuddy snuggled into his embrace, also sighing.

"House," Cuddy breathed, her shoulder still shaking from whatever had upset her in the dream.

"Hey," House helped Cuddy into a half-sitting position, "Cuddy, I need you to tell me the truth, did you have any of these?" He held the bottle of sleeping pills in front of Cuddy's face.

She only shook her head, her eyes filling with tears and she buried her face on House's shoulder, nearly soaking his shirt withing minutes.

"Lisa," Wilson began, moving towards Cuddy, "It's okay, we're both here." He went to rest a hand on her shoulder, but Cuddy shied away from his hand, pulling the covers up to her chin and pressing herself against House's side. Reaching a bit closer, Wilson went to rest his hand on Cuddy's head, but she slapped it away.

"Get away from me!" She cried, her shoulder's shaking, and Wilson jumped back, confused and frighted.

"Wilson, leave her alone." House rested his head on Cuddy's shoulder, "Hey, Lisa, it's just Wilson, he isn't going to hurt you. But he wants to know what's wrong, can I tell him."

Cuddy pulled herself into a half sitting position again, still snuggled against House's side and she nodded stiffly, tears filling her eyes.

"You sure?" House asked, "Okay," he looked up at Wilson, "Whatever is said within the next ten minutes cannot leave this room, you hear me?"

"Yes, but what...?" Wilson looked between House and Cuddy, still confused. "Why's Cuddy do distressed?"

"Listen," House leaned Cuddy against the pillows, lowering his voice so it was just above a whisper. "This isn't usual, by any means, Cuddy's been having nightmares like this for a long time. They started when she was little, a few months after her sixth birthday, and it haunts her terribly. I don't want you to ever bring this up again, do you hear me?"

"Y...yes." Wilson stuttered, shocked at how serious House was being.

"A few months after Cuddy's birthday, her whole family died and she was taken in by her mother's best friend." House began, "It's terrible, what happened to Lisa," the use of Cuddy's first name registered with Wilson, "and I don't wish it on anyone." House ran his fingers through Cuddy's hair, his voice barely a whisper so Cuddy couldn't hear them. "One night, a few months after her birthday, Lisa saw her whole family die."

"Wh...what?" Wilson hissed, stunned.

"They were shot to death," House began, and he felt Cuddy's arm around his shoulders, "One by one, and she was forced to watch the whole thing. Even now, she still has nightmares about it, that the man who killed her family is going to come back for her, and kill her just as painfully as he did the rest of her family." He sighed and pulled Cuddy closer to him, her tear still stained with tears. "I never knew about this until our one night together in college, I remember seeing her so upset and frightened, and she told me everything. Lisa is convinced that the man who murdered her family still wants to kill her too, since they never caught him."

"But … why you? Why did she tell you all this?" Wilson asked, confused on why House knew all this.

"I love him," Cuddy sat up, placing a kiss on House's cheek, "More than anything."

"What …?" Wilson repeated, "You two are together?"

"Yes," House nodded, "I couldn't let Lise suffer through that alone, so I let her stay with me at my apartment."

"How long have you two been together?" Wilson looked between them, "I mean, romantically."

"Ever since college," House admitted, "We just never told anyone, my parents don't even know about us."

"So you two have been playing the whole hospital's staff, along with all your friends and everyone, for all this time?" Wilson asked in disbelief. "And _why_ did I never know about this?"

"Because," Cuddy began, "I never wanted anyone to know." Her shoulder's were still shaking slightly from her nightmare, and House's arm was around her waist.

"I … I see," Wilson began, suddenly feeling awkward.

"Yeah," Cuddy shrugged, and gave House a gentle kiss on the lips, "I'm going back to bed, give me." She pulled the bottle of sleeping pills out of House's hand, taking two and burrowing under the covers.

** ––**

"So, err, what?" Wilson asked, looking at House, who sat up in bed, "What's going on between you and Cuddy now?"

"I don't know," House's hand rested on Cuddy's shoulder, "You know how much she cares for me, and how much I care for her. I just don't know where to go from here."

"Meaning what exactly?" Wilson was obviously confused by the whole night's events.

"I want to ask Cuddy to marry me." House admitted quietly, "I know she would say yes, but I don't know if she'd be happy."

"House," Wilson rolled his eyes, "Based on what I've seen between you two tonight, Cuddy would be more than happy with you. She needs that in her life, to know that someone like you would do anything for her; to know that you love her more than anything."

"So I should?" House asked, "And I'm listening to you because?"

"Because it's the truth House, you know that, even without asking me. You've cared for Cuddy so much since you first met her and she's obviously very much in love with you." Wilson leaned back, making himself comfortable under the covers. "You and Cuddy need each other, married or not."

"You're right Wilson," House pulled the covers over himself, his arm around Cuddy, "I do need her in my life, and she needs me in hers." He kissed Cuddy's forehead, "I love you Lise."

"Good night House." Wilson called, turning off the lights.

"'Night Wilson." House called back, "Thanks."

_fin_.

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**AN: So ... what do you think? Stress + boredom + 10 hours of sleep + awesome dreams + Huddy on the brain + Wilson = amazing. Right? **

**x**


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